I think my Computer is dying?
 

I'm having problems with my desktop these days.
taking ages to boot up taking ages to log off,programmes not sparking up and not operating properly,clicking icons and nothing happening and taking ages do anything.and just generally being a pain in the arse to try and do anything.
I've scanned and checked for viruses and spyware and as far as I can make out the beast is clean.
It's now 7 years old so I'm assuming it's now old and getting cranky (like me) or does anyone out there have any ideas how to get some more life out of it, I recently uprated the memory to 2 gb and it was working fine for a while

Base computer hardware works just as fast as it did seven years ago. But something is causing hardware to do more work. Maybe waiting on a peripheral. Maybe doing things it once never had to.

Always learn what you have before fixing anything. If the computer is from a more responsible manufacturer, then it comes with a comprehensive hardware diagnostic. That executes without any Windows - the only way to define hardware states. Dell and HP provide them. All computer manufacturers have them. But only some are willing to share.

View the system (event) logs. If you do not know where to look, then click on Windows Help to find them. Windows finds problems, stores the event in logs, and then works around problems. Then the problems are solved when it is more convenient for you. But you must view the logs.

Device Manager. Not a likely suspect. But you must still examine it looking for any stuck or failed functions / peripherals.

Ignore nonsense about memory. If you had memory problems, those would be reported in the event logs or report a BSOD.

Moving on. Load Task Manager. What tasks are consuming plenty of CPU time. Under the Processes tag, simply click on the CPU column until the processes most demanding CPU time are up top. Those are probably the processes consuming CPU time excessively or unnecessarily. May even be malware you never detected. What are these processes? Yes, record the name and report it here. If you right click on the process, then kill (terminate) it, does the system run faster?

Others complained about they system loading slower. Provided was how to restore that booting speed.

Any solution that does not first find the problem is how to make problems difficult - and how to become confuses. Provide is information that either identifies your problem. Or makes it possible to get assistance immediately. The most important facts are often the ones you do not understand or think irrelevant.

I had my system really slow up before the hard drive crashed, but that happened relatively quickly. You may want to get your data backed up and then do a fresh new install of your operating system and see how that goes.

I had a portable hard drive connected to back up stuff disconnected this and it seems everything is back to normal (find some wood to touch quickly).
It's supposed to back up automatically so maybe it was taking too many resources God knows I'm a novice here,anyhoo I think I may just get something more up to date, might even have a go at putting a system together my self when I can get some funds together.
It's quite funny because when I bought the system it was touted as "The Powerstation" because of it's spec and it was over £1,000 now you get laptops with a better spec for around £600, how times change
Thanks for the replies

7 years!? That's a good run.

It died. I reinstalled windows. I did not update the drivers via windows. I have nice new/ old ones from the Nvida site and now I can be online! yay

It still needs a replacement GPU card for a Gforce 100 stock.

My computer has also become slow and unreliable, so I have consulted an expert who will do a clean re-install of windows XP for me. (hasn't been done since I bought it in 2007!) First I am backing up all my files onto an external hard drive I recently bought.

And that is my main headache right now. The HDD I bought also does auto back ups. I did not want this. I managed to uninstall the auto-back-up software, but now windows crashes (a stop error, technically) every time the drive is connected, or if the computer is started with the drive connected.

I've been posting at the online support web page for the drive manufacturer but so far have no help. I am getting pissed off at it.

Bebop ... is your external drive made by Western Digital? Mine is, and so far it has been rubbish.

This computer has never had a reinstall of Windows in seven years. No reason to do that.

The Windows 98 computers I still support have never had Windows reinstalled.

Slowness is (as was described earlier) more likely due to many programs that insist on loading before you can log in. For example, Adobe Acrobat loads a very large program when the OS starts. Which is why so many blame Windows (rather than Adobe) for their slow booting. Easily removed with some standard software that nobody was interested in.

Do you have hardware problems? All computer manufacturers have comprehensive hardware diagnostics to confirm all hardware without the complications of Windows. But only the more responsible manufacturers made that software available - and free.

Why is the machine crashing? The stop error numbers and associated message says so much. How to fix a problem without doing the nuke'n pave.

Meanwhile the nuke 'n pave can be done by anyone. Simply load and execute the System Restore CD-Rom. That puts the entire disk back to what it was when the system was first purchased. Nothing technical.

So did you use the On-Track (or whatever it is now called) software that came with the Western Digital drive? Don't. Disk drives need no software to install them. Windows has everything necessary to locate, format, and configure the disk drive automatically. Additional software is also provided by the Disk Manager that is in Windows. Don't know if the System Restore CD-Rom will undo that Western Digital software.

Yes it's one of the small portable ones "My Passport" type

Yup, mine too, 320 GB "My passport essential".

Thanks for your thoughts.

The reason in favour of the Nuke-and-pave is that there are almost certainly multiple issues slowing the machine down. There is a lot of software I have never used, and almost certainly a lot of malware and assorted crap. Rather than chasing a dozen or more issues, kill the lot and rebuild.

The reason for getting a pro to do it is that there have been many software updates and patches since I got the machine. I don't want to go online until the updates are installed. I know it is possible to download the updates, burn them to discs, reinstall, then update, before going on the internet, but that is complicated and I'll probably screw something up. Get a pro to do it.

On the same principle I have just had a light globe behind the dashboard of my car replaced. I probably could have done it myself, but it would have taken me an afternoon of farting about figuring out how to dismantle and reassemble the dash, but I am busy and it was easier to get it done by a mechanic with the service I just got done. Still, $50 to change a sodding lightbulb ... hmmm.

If you're interested, the technical information is:

BAD_POOL_HEADER

STOP 0x000019 ( 0 x FF953120, 0 x FF953138, 0 x 1A030001).

I have no idea what this means and don't care enough to try to find out, because it only relates to one specific problem. So don't bother chasing it on my behalf. :)

I'm not certain, but I think that's when you trip at the edge of the springboard and fall head-first into the pool.

I punted as well - Bought a new one.
No need to erase, repair, search & destroy malware or viruses...
Find the CC, make the call and a new one will be delivered to my door.

Oh, and its a little bit of an upgrade too. I'm going from 80gig to 1tbyte.
Better processor ... basically a better/faster everything.

You are aware, though, that the cellar won't look any smarter?

Except for a select few, that isn't possible.